Emperor Ruizong of Tang facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Emperor Ruizong of Tang唐睿宗 |
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| Emperor of China | |||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 27 February 684 – 16 October 690 | ||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Emperor Zhongzong (under Empress Zetian's regency) | ||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Dynasty abolished (Wu Zetian as empress regnant of the Zhou dynasty |
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| Regent | Empress Zetian | ||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 25 July 710 – 8 September 712 | ||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Emperor Shang (Under Empress Wei regency) | ||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Emperor Xuanzong | ||||||||||||||||
| Power behind the emperor | Princess Taiping | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | 22 June 662 Chang'an |
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| Died | 13 July 716 (aged 54) Baifu Hall |
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| Consorts | Empress Suming (died 693) Empress Zhaocheng (died 693) |
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| Issue | Li Xian Li Hui Emperor Xuanzong Li Fan Li Ye Princess Shouchang Princess Huaiyang Princess Dai Princess Liang Princess Xue Princess Xi Princess Jinxian Princess Yuzhen Princess Huo |
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| House | Tang dynasty | ||||||||||||||||
| Father | Emperor Gaozong | ||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Empress Zetian | ||||||||||||||||
| Tang Ruizong | |||||||||||
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| Chinese | 唐睿宗 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Farsighted Ancestor of the Tang" | ||||||||||
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| Li Dan | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 李旦 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | (personal name) | ||||||||||
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| Li Xulun | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 李旭輪 | ||||||||||
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| Li Lun | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 李輪 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | (personal name) | ||||||||||
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| Wu Lun | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 武輪 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | (personal name) | ||||||||||
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| Wu Dan | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 武旦 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | (personal name) | ||||||||||
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Emperor Ruizong of Tang (born 662, died 716) was an emperor of the Tang dynasty in China. His personal name was Li Dan. He was the eighth son of Emperor Gaozong and the fourth son of Empress Wu.
Emperor Ruizong ruled twice, but he was mostly a "figurehead" ruler. This means he held the title of emperor but had no real power. During his first reign (684-690), his powerful mother, Empress Wu Zetian, was in charge. During his second reign (710-712), his strong sister, Princess Taiping, had a lot of influence.
Contents
Becoming Emperor: First Reign
Li Dan was born in 662. He was the youngest son of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu. He received several princely titles as he grew up. He was known for being humble and good at calligraphy.
In 683, Emperor Gaozong died. Li Dan's older brother, Li Zhe, became emperor. However, Empress Wu, their mother, kept all the power as the empress dowager (a powerful queen mother).
In 684, Emperor Zhongzong tried to rule on his own. Empress Wu quickly removed him from the throne. She then made Li Dan the new emperor, known as Emperor Ruizong. But Emperor Ruizong was just a puppet ruler. His mother controlled everything. He wasn't even allowed to leave his palace or meet with government officials.
His wife, Princess Liu, became empress. Their son, Li Chengqi, was named crown prince (the next in line for the throne).
Empress Wu Takes Control
After Emperor Ruizong became emperor, Empress Wu started making big changes. She renamed government offices and made Luoyang an important capital city, just like Chang'an. She also built a special temple for her own family's ancestors.
In 684, a rebellion started against Empress Wu. It was led by Li Jingye, who wanted Emperor Zhongzong back on the throne. Empress Wu sent her generals to stop the rebellion, and they quickly succeeded. She also punished officials who seemed to be against her.
Empress Wu used secret police to find people she suspected of opposing her. She even offered to give power back to Emperor Ruizong once, but he knew she didn't mean it and politely refused.
In 688, some imperial princes worried that Empress Wu might harm them. They started a rebellion, claiming Emperor Ruizong needed to be rescued. But these rebellions were quickly crushed. Empress Wu used this as a chance to remove many members of the royal Li family.
In 690, many people, including Emperor Ruizong himself, asked Empress Wu to become the empress regnant (a ruling empress). She agreed and took the throne, starting her own Zhou dynasty. This paused the Tang dynasty. Emperor Ruizong was made "imperial successor" and his name was changed to Wu Lun.
Life During Wu Zetian's Reign
Even though Li Dan was named the imperial successor, Empress Wu thought about making one of her nephews the next ruler. But she never did.
In 693, Li Dan's wife, Empress Liu, and his concubine, Consort Dou, were falsely accused of witchcraft. Empress Wu had them killed. Li Dan was so scared of his mother that he didn't dare to show sadness. He continued to act normally.
Later, someone tried to falsely accuse Li Dan himself. But a loyal servant named An Jinzang proved Li Dan's innocence by hurting himself. Empress Wu was impressed and stopped the investigation against Li Dan.
In 698, Empress Wu was advised by her officials to bring Li Dan's older brother, Li Zhe (the former Emperor Zhongzong), back from exile. Li Dan then offered to give up his position as imperial successor to Li Zhe. Empress Wu agreed, and Li Zhe became the crown prince. Li Dan was given the title Prince of Xiang.
In 699, Empress Wu made Li Xian, Li Dan, and other family members swear an oath to get along after her death. She worried about conflicts between the Li and Wu families.
Emperor Zhongzong's Second Reign
In 705, a group of officials led a coup (a sudden overthrow of the government) against Wu Zetian. They restored Emperor Zhongzong to the throne. Emperor Zhongzong gave Li Dan a special title, "Prince of Xiang who pacified the state," and offered him high positions, but Li Dan politely refused. Emperor Zhongzong then made his own son, Li Chongjun, the crown prince.
In 707, Li Chongjun rebelled because he was insulted by Emperor Zhongzong's powerful wife, Empress Wei, and her daughter. Li Chongjun was killed. Some people tried to involve Li Dan and Princess Taiping in the rebellion, but Emperor Zhongzong stopped the investigation.
Second Reign: A Brief Return to Power
On July 3, 710, Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly. Many historians believe Empress Wei and her daughter poisoned him so Empress Wei could rule like Wu Zetian. Emperor Zhongzong's youngest son, Li Chongmao, was made emperor (Emperor Shang). Empress Wei became the empress dowager and regent, meaning she ruled for the young emperor.
Empress Wei and her supporters saw Li Dan and Princess Taiping as threats. But Li Dan's son, Li Longji, found out about their plans. He teamed up with Princess Taiping and other officials to act first.
On July 21, Li Longji and his allies launched a coup. They killed Empress Wei and her family members. Li Dan then became regent. With urging from Princess Taiping, Li Longji, and Li Chengqi, Li Dan agreed to become emperor again, replacing Emperor Shang.
Choosing a Crown Prince
Emperor Ruizong now faced a big decision: who should be the crown prince? His oldest son, Li Chengqi, was the traditional choice. But Li Longji had led the coup that brought him back to power.
Li Chengqi humbly asked to step aside for his younger brother. After much discussion, Emperor Ruizong chose Li Longji as the crown prince. Li Longji also offered to yield to his older brother, but Emperor Ruizong refused.
Emperor Ruizong reversed many of the changes made during Emperor Zhongzong's reign. He also honored many people who had suffered under Wu Zetian.
However, the court was still divided. Princess Taiping and Li Longji led two powerful groups. Emperor Ruizong often asked chancellors if they had consulted both his sister and his son before making decisions. He trusted Princess Taiping a lot and relied on her advice. She had great power and influence over government matters.
Princess Taiping and Li Longji often disagreed. Princess Taiping tried to spread rumors about Li Longji to get him removed. In 711, some officials tried to send Princess Taiping and other princes away from the capital to reduce tensions. But Princess Taiping found out and angrily complained, so they were all brought back.
As Retired Emperor
In 712, Princess Taiping used astrologers to warn Emperor Ruizong about changes to the imperial throne. She hoped he would suspect Li Longji. Instead, Emperor Ruizong decided to pass the throne to Li Longji, thinking it was a natural transition.
Princess Taiping strongly opposed this, and Li Longji at first declined. But Emperor Ruizong insisted, and Li Longji became Emperor Xuanzong.
However, at Princess Taiping's suggestion, Emperor Ruizong kept much of his power as Taishang Huang (retired emperor). He still controlled important decisions, like appointing high-ranking officials and military matters. His orders were still more powerful than Emperor Xuanzong's. This allowed Princess Taiping to continue influencing the government.
The rivalry between Princess Taiping and Emperor Xuanzong grew stronger. Both wanted full control. In 712, some officials tried to remove Princess Taiping's allies, but their plan was leaked.
By summer 713, Princess Taiping and her allies were suspected of planning to overthrow Emperor Xuanzong. Emperor Xuanzong decided to act first. On July 29, he sent soldiers to arrest and execute several of Princess Taiping's supporters.
When Emperor Ruizong heard what was happening, he quickly went to a tower to see. He was told about Emperor Xuanzong's actions and felt he had to approve them. The next day, Emperor Ruizong officially transferred all his powers to Emperor Xuanzong. He moved to a secondary palace.
Princess Taiping, realizing she had lost her power and allies, fled. Emperor Xuanzong ordered her to take her own life. Her sons and allies were also punished. Princess Taiping's vast wealth, which was said to be more than the empire's annual income, was taken by the government.
Emperor Ruizong died in 716 at Baifu Hall. He was honored in the imperial temple.
Family
Emperor Ruizong had many children. His most famous son was Li Longji, who became a very important emperor.
- Empress Suming (Liu clan)
- Li Xian, his first son.
- Empress Zhaocheng (Dou clan)
- Li Longji, who became Emperor Xuanzong.
- Princess Jinxian
- Princess Yuzhen
- Noble Consort (Cui clan)
- Li Fan, his fourth son.
- Virtuous Consort (Wang clan)
- Li Ye, his fifth son.
- Princess Huaiyang
- Princess Liang
- Lady (Liu clan)
- Li Hui, his second son.
In Fiction and Popular Culture
- Emperor Ruizong has been shown in TV series like Deep in the Realm of Conscience (2018) and Palace of Desire (2000).
Images for kids
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Qiaoling (橋陵), the tomb of Emperor Ruizong, in Pucheng County, Shaanxi
